


Worth the Price

by Roguefemme



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 04:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15622104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roguefemme/pseuds/Roguefemme
Summary: A moment's decision, a hasty action, and everything has to change for a man who has already lost all certainty in his life. But in the end maybe it's worth it.





	Worth the Price

  
    "Mr. Korto! Mr. Korto, look at me!" little Isamu sang out happily. "I'm taller'n you!"  
  
    The man he addressed gave a long-suffering sigh and ducked out from under the edge of his ship so he could see the boy.  
  
    "Isamu, what have I told you about climbing on everything?" he snapped in startled aggravation when he saw the boy perched on an insufficiently stable pile of crates.  
  
    "But Mr. Kortoooo...." the boy whined, to no avail. The man stalked over to the pile of crates and held up his arms in silent command. Isamu sighed theatrically and dragged his feet as he walked closer until his temporary guardian could clasp him around the torso and lift him easily off the crates to set him securely on the ground.  
  
    "Never mind 'But Mr. Korto.' No more climbing on things, Isamu. I don't feel like explaining to your parents why I'm bringing their son back dented."  
  
    "But I'm booooored!" the boy protested.  
  
    "Isamu." Korto knelt down to look the boy in the face, his expression tolerant but mildly annoyed. "What did I tell you I was going to be doing all afternoon?"  
  
    The boy's posture wilted and he looked sulky. "Fixing your ship," he mumbled.  
  
    "And what did I say when you asked to come along?" Korto asked in a tone that brooked no backtalk.  
  
    The boy's shoulders slumped even further and he stuck out his lower lip. There was a long pause and then Korto folded his arms, raising his eyebrows in expectation. Isamu peeked at him from under his lashes and seemed to realize he wasn't going to win this. "....That I'd be bored," Isamu mumbled, barely audible.  
  
    "That's right. And you begged to come anyway, didn't you?"    
  
    "...yes." Isamu's face was so sulky that Korto had to restrain his amusement. The reprimand would lose some effectiveness if he laughed in the middle of it.  
  
      "So whose fault is it that you're bored?" Korto replied with the air of a sabacc player laying down the final card of a King's Array. The boy folded his arms and kicked at the floor. "Now come on. You can hand me tools while I do repairs, all right?" Judging by the boy's expression that was not an appealing offer, but he grudgingly followed anyway. Korto looked down at the boy, so small he barely reached the tall man's waist, and chuckled, then turned and scooped Isamu up into his arms. Caught by surprise, the boy yelped with glee before remembering to pout again. "Come on, quit making mynock-face. It's not that bad."  
  
    "I'm not making mynock-face!" Isamu protested, his little countenance lighting up with laughter.  
  
    "Oh yes you are." Korto made an exaggerated version of the same face, and the boy began giggling madly.  
  
    "You're so weird!" Isamu laughed.  
  
    "You bet. Now come on, I have a ship to fix."  He carried his charge back to where his half-done repair was already spread out and put the boy down on his feet, then handed him a circuit connecting tool.  "Hold on to this and hand it to me when I tell you, okay?"  
  
    "Okay." Isamu sat down and wrapped his arms around his knees, the tool still firmly clutched in one small hand.

  
  
    Predictably, the child lasted barely more than ten minutes before getting bored and wandering off. Korto sighed and shook his head in amused tolerance, but decided to allow a few minutes before calling him back. He returned to his repair but kept his senses sharply attuned for any hint of trouble.  
  
    A tickle of warning instinct made him sit up quickly and push out from under the ship so he could see his charge. Isamu had climbed up on the railing and was now leaning over it, staring down into the long drop off the edge of the landing platform.  
  
    "Isamu, get _down_!" he yelled, his heart racing in fear. The boy started with surprise, then gave him a sour look and eased himself down, setting down one foot on the floor, and then the other. When both the boy's feet were securely on the floor, Korto let out the breath he'd been unaware of holding, and beckoned.  "Come here, you little menace. I'm taking you home before you scare me into an early grave."  
  
    "I don't wanna go home!" Isamu protested, and swung his body back until he was bent nearly double over the floor, hanging his weight off his hands that still clutched the rail. So he remained for a frozen second, until his feet suddenly slid on some unseen slickness on the floor and the boy barely had time to cry out as his feet slid out from under him. He shot under the rail and vanished from sight, screaming as he fell.  
  
    " _ **Isamu!**_ " Korto ran to the rail and looked down at the plummeting child. No time. No time, and only instinct guided him.  
  
    He thrust out a hand and the child stopped in midair as if in an invisible grip. The man lifted his hand slowly and the child drifted upward, astonishment plain on his little face as he was lifted over the rail and set down on the floor.  
  
    " _You_ did that!" the child yelped, shocked and delighted. "How did you do that?!" But his enthusiasm was cut short when he saw the look on Korto's face, as if the man had aged decades in seconds.  
  
    "Come on, Isamu," he said wearily. "I'm taking you home." He lifted the child into his arms again, not easily and playfully like before but as if it was an effort, then carried him toward the speeder.  
  
    "Mr. Korto, what's the matter?" the boy studied him, anxiety written all over his little face. "Are you mad at me? I'm really sorry if I made you mad."  
  
    "No, Isamu, I'm not mad at you. I just need to get you home. I have... a job." Even after years of having to lie about everything, it stung to have to mislead the child. When they reached the speeder he opened the door, placed the boy in the seat, and then knelt so he was on the same level. "Listen to me. You must never tell anyone what happened here today. If anyone found out I can do what I did, I would be in very bad danger."  
  
    "...danger?"  Fear stole over the child's face. "Even if I tell Mama and Dad?"  
  
    Korto bowed his head. He couldn't ask the child to lie to his own parents. "All right, you can tell them but no one else. And please wait until after I've gone, all right?"  
  
    "Yes, sir. I promise," Isamu answered solemnly.  
  
    "Thank you," He leaned forward and kissed the boy's cheek. "And I want you to know - it's worth it. I know you don't understand now, but someday you will. Just remember I said that."  
  
     
                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
    When he brought the boy home Tira Li Anek instantly knew something was wrong. She shooed Isamu off into his room and then turned back to gaze at Korto with concern and sadness filling her dark uptilted eyes that were so like her son's.  
  
    "What has happened?" she asked quietly.  
  
    "I got called for a job. I have to leave very soon." Korto made himself smile in an effort to soothe her concern, but Tira wasn't fooled.  
  
    "How long is this job?" she folded her arms.  
  
    "...I don't know," he let out a breath and looked away, avoiding her eyes. Slowly she nodded, and did not press him further. Instead she laid her hand on his forearm.  
  
    "Would you wait just a minute? There is something I would like to get for you."  
  
    "Of course," he said, and his smile this time was a little more sincere.  
  
    She nodded and left the room, and soon returned with a data crystal which she pressed into his hand.  
  
    "Take this with you," she told him. "Keep it, and remember that wherever you go and whatever you are running from, you are a good man and you will always have family in us."  
  
    Too overwhelmed to speak at first, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Tira."  
  
    She stood on tiptoe to return the gesture. "May the great spirit be with you, my dear friend."  
  
  
                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  
    When Isamu finished telling the story, Tira bit her lower lip, her eyes shiny with suppressed pain.  
  
    "I knew he was running from something, but I never imagined..." she trailed off.  
  
    "Mama, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Isamu demanded.  
  
    "Because our friend will be gone for a long time and I will miss him. Now go take a bath and change, you are all dirty."  
  
    The boy hesitated, his eyes wide as he studied his mother's face, trying to understand. "Yes, Mama," he said finally, and ran off to obey.  
  
    Once alone Tira covered her face and wept silently, knowing as her son could not that their family friend had given up what might have been his last chance for safety and a home, all to save Isamu again.  
      
  
                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
    Once the Skorp-Ion entered hyperspace, leaving behind the planet where he had lived for nearly a year, Korto took out the data crystal and gazed at it. He had a good idea what was on it - Tira Li Anek was as intelligent as she was strong-willed and must have planned for the eventuality of his leaving forever - and he knew he shouldn't keep it.  
  
    He'd have to start all over again. A new home, a new identity, a new background. But he couldn't find it in his heart to regret what he had done. And he'd keep the crystal.  
  
    "It was worth it," he murmured to himself, gazing at the data crystal in his hand. And it was; not only knowing that little Isamu was alive and well, but for what might have been the last chance Korto would ever have to feel like the man he had been long ago, in what seemed like another life - Jedi Master Quinlan Vos.  
  
  
                                                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
    Years later at the Imperial Academy at Raithal, Officer Cadet Isamu Li Anek stood outside alone, gazing up at the stars.  
  
    "I remember, Mr. Korto," the young man murmured softly to someone who could not hear him. "An' I understand now. I'm not so sure I agree, but I understand. And I'll never forget what you did for me. I just hope someday I get the chance to tell you."


End file.
